


timekeeper

by hwangjanim



Series: enneads [4]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Timelines, M/M, Platonic Love, Romantic love, Time Travel, i'll be your timekeeper, super powers? kind of?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:54:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23431999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hwangjanim/pseuds/hwangjanim
Summary: Seo Changbin's day has been awful. Seo Changbin's week has been awful. Seo Changbin would argue that the past few years have been awful.Seo Changbin is convinced the world is adamant on making him miserable and he somehow got stuck in the worst timeline.But when lightning strikes, so do fresh starts and second chances, and Changbin finds himself able to create better times that truly do heal all wounds.
Relationships: Bang Chan/Seo Changbin, Han Jisung | Han/Seo Changbin, Hwang Hyunjin/Seo Changbin, Kim Woojin/Seo Changbin, Lee Felix/Seo Changbin, Lee Minho | Lee Know/Seo Changbin, Seo Changbin/Everyone, Seo Changbin/Yang Jeongin | I.N
Series: enneads [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1588453
Kudos: 16





	timekeeper

**Author's Note:**

> hello my loves!   
> apparently the one thing I am adamant on being consistent with is posting the first chapters of this series on the first of each month. although the past month has been insanely chaotic for me, as I'm sure it has for all of you, I have gotten a lot of university stuff out of the way and am now officially able to use the time in self-isolation to work more on my writing! so do expect updates very very soon, and no this isn't an april fools joke, I promise. 
> 
> 2 things to address:   
> 1) as I've mentioned before, this has been planned since before October of last year, and even though I am not an ot9er (I support ot8 and woo separately and respect the decisions made), I want to make this series what I intended it to be in the first place. therefore, despite the vlive that I'm sure kind of surprised us all, I will continue to include woojin in my works /in this series/. if you have any questions about this or anything else regarding my works, please let me know in the comments! remember that, when I write these, I use the boys as a basis for characters that are ultimately fictional, so please don't take my inclusion of woojin as meaning anything else!  
> 2) I hope all of you are safe and healthy! the world is in a state of chaos right now and it's been extremely rough on everyone, so I truly hope you're all doing well. if you're working, please stay safe out there, and if you're self-isolating, please make sure to take good care of your mental as well as physical health! remember that social distancing doesn't mean complete isolation, so make sure to take care of your mental health. 
> 
> this note is way longer than intended, so I'm gonna leave it there! drink water and stay safe and healthy out there! xo

Seo Changbin tried not to have regrets. He thought they were pointless, turning into what ifs and regrets and weight on his shoulders, but today, the second Tuesday of April, he had a single regret, and that was not bringing an umbrella. 

His hair stuck to his forehead, his socks were wet, his t-shirt clung to his skin, he was absolutely _freezing,_ and all of that could have been avoided if he hadn’t listened to the voice in the back of his head when it said, “Nah, it won’t rain”. 

And now, here he was, soaked to the skin and late for work without a change of clothes. Waiting tables all day in wet shoes was definitely not something to look forward to. 

He opened the door of the restaurant, cringing at the noise his shoes made on the polished wood floor. 

“Is it raining?” Changbin heard a familiar voice, followed by Wooyoung’s head popping up from behind the counter. 

“No, I took a shower with all my clothes on.” 

“That doesn’t sound very comfo-“

“Yes, it’s raining outside,” Changbin finished, rolling his eyes at his friend. 

Wooyoung grimaced: “We, uh… Need laundry pods for the tablecloths, so could you? Since you’re already soaked?”

Changbin narrowed his eyes, glaring at his friend’s grinning face. Reluctantly, he turned back around and, without a word, walked back out, flipping Wooyoung off and ignoring his playful, “Love you!” 

The store wasn’t far from the restaurant at all, but Changbin never understood why they couldn’t keep spare supplies somewhere in the back, the way he was sure _normal_ restaurants did. He usually didn’t mind the five minute walk to the grocery store, but today was bad enough as it was; an additional walk in the pouring rain felt too much like tempting fate for his liking. 

The store door opened with a familiar ring of the bell above it, and Changbin headed straight for the laundry detergent, swiftly grabbing a box of laundry pods without sparing the brand stamped on it a second glance. He made his way towards the cash register, shivering slightly as he walked past the frozen foods section, glad that the store was practically empty. 

“It’s really pouring it down out there, huh?” the clerk asked with a smile once he reached the register. She was familiar, an acquaintance by now, and the two of them would often make small talk as he bought various supplies for work. 

“Great start to the day,” Changbin said sarcastically, accompanying the remark with a friendly smile as he pressed his card to the payment machine, “I feel like I’m in the worst timeline today.” 

The girl behind the register laughed as she handed him his receipt: “Maybe you can find an alternate one or something.” 

“I can dream,” Changbin plays along, giving a small wave as he began to make his way back to work. 

The cold hit him as soon as he stepped out, and he quickened his step in an attempt to reach the warmth of the restaurant sooner. Instead, he stepped directly into a huge puddle and let out a string of profanities that this day had foreshadowed since the headache Changbin had woken up with. 

He dragged his foot out of the puddle and carried on, limping slightly in an attempt to lessen the discomfort of his soaked trainer. Where he _really_ wanted to go was _home_ ; he wanted to get dry and warm and go back to sleep until today wasn’t a thing anymore. Instead, he let out a sigh as he turned the corner and caught a glimpse of the restaurant. 

And then there was a flash. 

Changbin never thought much about the individual vertebrae that made up his spine, but now he _felt_ them, energy running through every millimetre of his body. Nothing hurt, but it felt like it should, and for a second, Changbin could swear on everything he had that his feet weren’t touching the ground. As quickly as it came, the flash of light vanished and the only thing he could see was dark. 

The next thing he knew, Changbin was on the ground, his head pounding as drops of rain incessantly continued to fall while thunder boomed above him. Somehow he managed to get on his feet again and _not_ pass out, and proceeded to run as fast as he could to the restaurant door, leaving the box of laundry pods forgotten in the rain.

The door swung open as he pushed into it in a panic and came face to face with Wooyoung, who was now taking the chairs down and setting them down by the tables. He had a perplexed, almost scared look on his face at the rush his friend had come in with. 

“Where are the—?"

“I think,” Changbin managed to interrupt him through shallow breaths, “I just got struck by lightning.” 

***

“What?” Wooyoung laughed, stopping when Changbin’s widened eyes met his, “Wait, you’re not kidding?” 

“Do I _LOOK_ like I’m kidding?!” 

“Fuck, are you okay?” 

Changbin didn’t know how to answer that question. He absentmindedly watched Wooyoung pull up a chair for him, barely reacting when he was carefully guided to sitting in it. 

“Changbin?” 

Changbin moved his head slowly to face his friend, unsure of how to respond. 

“Changbin? Are you okay?” Wooyoung sounded worried now, his eyes darting around Changbin’s face like he was looking for signs of damage on him. 

“I’m fine,” he managed, although he wasn’t certain he was telling the truth. The only sign of pain was the awful headache he couldn’t seem to get rid of. The rest of his body was tingling as if it had gone numb and was trying its best to feel again, and nothing about it felt normal. In reality, there was no words Changbin could use to describe the strange feeling that had taken him over. 

He accepted the glass of water his friend had given him, taking cautious sips as Wooyoung continued to look at him, concerned. 

“Feeling better?” 

Instead of answering, Changbin gently put his glass on the table next to them. 

“Wooyoung,” he said, speaking slowly like he had just learned the other boy’s name, “We are in the worst timeline.” 


End file.
